


Returning The Favor

by FloweryNamesLover



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 07:35:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18912445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloweryNamesLover/pseuds/FloweryNamesLover





	Returning The Favor

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hakuouki or anything related to it.**

* * *

Hijikata shut his eyes and sighed when Otori's face twisted in shock and disgust as he spat out the tea he'd just taken a sip of.

Otori had said he would come to discuss some minor business regarding the soldiers, and since Chizuru was indisposed, Hijikata made the tea himself and hoped it was not as horrible as his attempts at preparing anything to eat or drink in the past before he was banned from the kitchen at Shiel Hall had been. Based on Otori's reaction, it was much worse than that.

The Minister of the Army clutched his chest as he struggled to spit out every little droplet of the tea, shuddering when he completed this task. He brought a hand to massage his throat and looked at Hijikata with eyes the size of saucers.

"Yukimura-kun's tea-making skills seem to have...diminished slightly." He shuddered again, failing to notice Hijikata's wince."I don't think I'll ever get this taste out of my mouth."

"Chizuru didn't make this." Hijikata said, running a hand over his face. He looked Otori dead in the eye and murmured,"I did. She fell ill so I ordered her to take the day off."

Otori's mouth formed the shape of an O."I...see."

Hijikata grimaced."I might have been banned from the kitchen several years ago before founding the Shinsengumi."

Otori raised an eyebrow."Might have?" He asked dryly, then rolled his eyes."You could have asked someone else to temporarily replace Yukimura-kun until she recovers. Then again," he chuckled.", I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you chose not to do so. No one can be as perfect for the job, even for a day or two, as Yukimura-kun, can they?"

Blushing just the slightest bit, Hijikata looked to the side to avoid meeting the other man's gaze."Maybe," he mumbled.

Otori chuckled again."You should go to her."

"I agree." The voice was followed by the door opening and Iba stepping inside."It would do you both some good if you did."

Hijikata bit his lower lip. It was a tempting thought. He shook his head."I've got too much work-"

"Toshi-san," Iba said, shaking his head."When don't you have too much work to do? I understand you have your duties to focus on as Vice Minister of the Army, but there's a difference between devotion to one's work and workaholism."

"Honestly, I think he's just shy." Otori shrugged, eyes closed and head titled downwards."He desperately searches for excuses not to see her because he has no idea what to say to her. It must be very difficult for you, Hijikata-kun, though I do pity Yukimura-kun. She goes through so much trouble for you and you're so timid about your own feelings...it really is sad sometimes."

Hijikata's face was scarlet now."Now wait a second-"

"It's okay, Toshi-san." Iba patted his shoulder, his expression a perfect copy of the one Otori wore."We understand. Seeing as I have little else to do, I'll go check on Chizuru-chan for you and keep her company. It is the least I can for both of you. In fact, I'll keep her company all day and give her your regards-"

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor caused Iba to stop talking and his face to split into a grin as Hijikata bolted past him and out of the office. Hijikata either didn't hear or chose to ignore Otori's laughter as this was happening.

Iba and Otori looked at each other and grinned.

* * *

"How could I have gotten sick?"

Chizuru lost count of how many times she had asked herself that question since waking up this morning with a sore throat and stuffy nose. She had tried to assure herself that as a doctor's daughter, she knew when not to push herself, but in the back of her mind she was aware of this self-deception. Not helping matters was the fact that lying, espeically to Hijikata, was not something she excelled at.

When she came in with his breakfast his eyes widened and he hurried to her. She had blushed when he touched her forehead and eyed her up and down before telling her to go back to bed and focus on getting better. She would have claimed to be fine if her legs hadn't suddenly crumbled beneath her. Hijikata managed to catch her and the tray with one arm each. He ordered Souma and Nomura escort her to her room and keep an eye on her. They obeyed, but had their own duties to attend to, so they couldn't look after her as much as they wanted to. Still, they performed the occasional checkup, which she appreciated.

A fresh batch of coughs tore from her throat, so intense that she was left gasping for air and clutching her chest in its aftermath. She started to moan, when a sneeze escaped her, and she whimpered as she let herself fall back onto the mattress. She rolled over and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Apparently, being a Demon meant she could easily survive wounds that would have killed or at least crippled a human, certain poisons did not affect her, nor did she have to worry about life-threatening illnesses that plagued humans, but something as simple as _this_ was perfectly possible. She grumbled into her pillow.

She hoped Hijikata was doing alright without her.

A knock on the door. Assuming it to be Souma or Nomura checking up on her again, she told the person to enter. She gasped when Hijikata entered instead.

"Hijikata-san?" Her voice was a raspy whisper. She coughed into her hand."What are you doing here?"

Hijikata raised an eyebrow, eyes flickering to the tray he was carrying."Thought that would be obvious."

She blushed from a mix of embarrassment and fever as he placed the tray on the nightstand next to her bed. Were her nose not stuffy, she would have enjoyed the scent of freshly made tea and soup.

"Don't worry," Hijikata said with a smirk, putting a hand on her forehead."I didn't make this. I want you to feel better, not worse."

That got a giggle out of her, though it became a series of harsh coughs that caused Hijikata to step back. He poured a cup of tea for her and handed it her. She accepted the cup with a quiet 'thank you', He draped another blanket over her shoulders and rubbed her back in soothing circles. Chizuru continued drinking the tea, so determined to hide her blushing face from him that she neglected to blow on the tea to cool it. Needless to say, her throat was not pleased with her for this.

Embarrassed as she was, she certainly enjoyed the attention Hijikata was giving her. Yet the guilt remained. Hijikata had clearly taken a break from his work to do this for her, because she could not look after her own health well enough to prevent this from happening. As a doctor's daughter, she should have known better.

While Chizuru was multitasking between engaging in self-criticism and enjoying how Hijikata took care of her, the man in question was constantly adjusting her blankets to ensure she was comfortable and had placed the tray with the soup onto her lap. When Chizuru didn't make any move to begin eating, he uttered her name. No reaction. He sat down on the bed and repeated her name. Still no reaction. Frowning, Hijikata reached out and said her name one more time, his voice louder and filled with more concern than ever. That third attempt, along with the way he rubbed her back, snapped her from her thoughts.

"S-Sorry!" Chizuru stammered, ducking her head and shoving a spoonful of soup into her mouth without blowing. Hijikata's eyes widened at this, then narrowed as he sighed.

"Alright," he said, taking the tray from her and putting it on the nightstand. He turned back to her and crossed his arms."Out with it."

Chizuru looked at him, feigning surprise."W-What are you talking about?" She tilted her head and widened her eyes.

Hijikata narrowed his eyes further."Chizuru..."

She slumped her shoulders."Well, it's just...you don't have to do this, Hijikata-san. I-I don't want to distract you from-"

Hijikata snorted."Funny, I could say the same about all the times you've taken care of me." He rested his hand atop her head, smiling at the blush that yet again colored her cheeks in response."You've never hesitated to take care of me or the rest of the Shinsengumi, be it physically or mentally, to the best of your ability. Least I can do is return the favor."

Chizuru looked down."Hijikata-san, y-you're giving me too much credit. It's not that I don't care for you, or the others, I always have, but I literally had nothing else to do, so whenever the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to be useful. I haven't sacrificed anything, not like you have."

Removing his hand from her head, Hijikata gently but firmly grasped her chin and made her meet his gaze."You've sacrificed more than anyone else I've ever known. When I met you, you were a normal girl who'd been sucked into all of this by chance. You spent that first year not knowing if the next day, hell even the next _moment_ , would bring you death or fortune, yet you always searched for a reason to smile and make us, make _me_ , smile too. You had the chance to go with that princess, to get away from us, but you chose to stay. At the time, we all agreed it was because you were focused on finding your father, but looking back, there was more to it, wasn't there?"

Chizuru nodded."I didn't want to leave my friends, especially you, Hijikata-san." She reached for his free hand and squeezed it."I had come to care for you more than I expected to."

"Hmm. Feeling's mutual. Maybe it has been for a long time and I just didn't realize it until recently. Or maybe I was in denial longer than I thought." He pulled her close, running his fingers through her hair and caressing the back of her head. Chizuru tightened her grip on his hand.

"Chizuru," he whispered in her ear."You honestly think you haven't sacrificed anything? Like I said, you denied Sen's offer. Then she came back and you still wanted to stay. You wouldn't listen to me when I told you to flee before the battle at Kofu Castle, you told me about how you refused to leave with the money Kondo-san gave you, you let me..." He stiffened, and she gave his hand another squeeze. The bloodlust remained a sore topic between them."You let me drink your blood. You even told me that you didn't need to be happy before I left for Ezo."

"I'm happy with you," she said."You tried to convince me to go live a normal life, but what I view as normal has changed since I met you. I've discovered things about myself that other people will never know or understand. For me, being normal and happy is being at your side."

Hijikata pulled her even closer."You've stuck me for so long, as everyone else either died or left. All those bastards who deserted or betrayed us when things suddenly weren't perfect for them anymore, you stayed throughout all of it instead of running away or giving up like a coward. And you were there for me with just the right words and gestures every time. You still are. If that isn't sacrifice, I don't know what is." He leaned back slighty and grinned at her."So like I said, let me return the favor just this once."

Chizuru closed her eyes as he pressed his lips to her forehead."Stay with me?" She asked.

He nodded."As long as you want."

She moved to make room for him and he slipped onto the bed and under the covers beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his chest.

Within moments they had both fallen into a peaceful, well-deserved sleep.


End file.
